Divine Intervention (2002) User Reviews

Many People Are Missing The Point

[Theo Robertson · 6/10 · 21 August 2008]

I remember seeing a clip from this film which involved Palestinians at a roadblock having to endure humiliation from the Israeli soldiers manning it . The scene then cuts to the Palestinian protagonist stopping his car beside a Jewish settler . I was expecting something to happen at this point but nothing did and decided to catch DIVINE INTERVENTION when it made an appearance at the Edinburgh filmhouse very recently to see if it made sense in a wider context

I'll say one thing about Elia Suleiman and that is he know's how to hook an audience in to a story since this contains a truly memorable opening sequence where a much loved icon meets with some violence which will distress anyone who's hoping for some Christmas gifts . Unfortunately he's unable to continue the momentum of this and we quickly find ourselves in Michaelangelo Antonioni territory . It's been said that both Buster Keaton and Jacques Tati have influenced Suleiman but I believe Antonioni has a far more obvious effect . For example a character offers cigarettes to two other characters who then wave their hands in to shot showing that they are already holding lit cigarettes something the character would have been aware of but not the audience . Other examples would be the exploding tank which seems to have been inspired by ZABRASKIE POINT , or a character continually being told there's no bus as he stands at a bus stop and , but perhaps the most obvious example would be the ending involving a pressure cooker . Antonioni likes to irritate the audience with portent enigmas and Elia Suleiman has done the same here along with a few stylistic nods to Robert Bresson

Unfortunately many people on this site and the handful of people in the audience of The Edinburgh Filmhouse seem to have misunderstood DIVINE INTERVENTION somewhat . This was most obvious during the discussion afterwards held by a distinguished epistemological film critic tried to concentrate on the ideas and influences behind the film and kept having the subject changed by useless idiots who were compelled to inform us all they knew about " fascist Israelis " and how the film didn't go far enough in " showing the brutality of the Israeli occupation " . Duh well it's not about the " brutality of the Israeli occupation " - it's about the absurdity of life under occupation and of the wider absurdity of everyday life . If you go and watch this film with a closed mind then you'll fail to understand it . DIVINE INTERVENTION isn't a great film but it's certainly one that can be appreciated by cinephilles rather more than mindless politicised idiots of what ever side of the Middle Eastern fence they're on

Very symbolic film depicting the daily lives of Palestinians and Arab Israelis

[fjmustak · 7/10 · 13 November 2002]

A story that takes place in Nazareth, and at a checkpoint between Jerusalem and Ramallah, as well as a few scenes in Jerusalem. The film starts out showing the daily lives of Arab Israelis in Nazareth, and the almost depressing routine that revolves around unemployment and high taxes (the green envelopes are government mail, whatever you get from different ministries and departments, and the big blue envelope was income tax). It shows Palestinian suffering at Israeli checkpoints and road blocks. The whole story revolves around this one checkpoint where a man from Nazareth meets this lady from Ramallah and observe. At one point in the movie it shows the tension between the Arab and the Jew, and the courage and defiance that come with it. And finally there's a Ninja scene where the girl fights these Israeli soldiers that are shooting at pictures of her (in Matrix-like action). I would recommend this film to someone who doesn't know much about Israel/Palestine and what's going on over there. I would also recommend it to those who do know what's going on and would like to see a different twist to it. Extremely informative...

look behind the silence

[bitterhoney · 8/10 · 12 November 2005]

'Divine Intervention' is not your average political commentary film. Although many may see it as "boring," it is in fact teeming with metaphors and symbols. Those who enjoy abstract art and are very familiar with the conflict and the region will find this movie a masterfully done work of art. If you prefer straight forward movies, i would suggest looking elsewhere. It is a bit choppy at the beginning, but in order to appreciate the movie, don't give up and watch the entirety of the film. The film smooths out, and more of the director's intentions and symbols become apparent. There are some very amusing scenes, and some that are painful to watch, but after all the movie is a commentary on love, pain, war and life.

Bitter ironies of occupation

[Chris Knipp · 29 March 2003]

"Divine Intervention," or" A Godlike Hand," consists of many vignettes which are Tati-esque "sans paroles" cartoons (they call them "bidoon ta'leeq" in Arabic, without comment), or comic strips actually, since scenes keep returning with slight changes and end with implied punch lines.

The first half focuses on individuals in Jerusalem, the last on Suleiman himself, his father (Nayef Fahoum Daher), and his girlfriend (Manal Khader). His girlfriend disappears and his father dies. The director plays like the sad-faced Buster Keaton doing "Waiting for Godot." He's also been compared to Hal Hartley and Groucho Marx and Yiddish humor, but what we need to remember is that this is a series of disjointed cartoons. Suleiman's aim is not to tell a story but to delineate with bitter, detached irony the miseries and absurdities of Palestinian life under Israeli occupation. In doing so he has had full access to a large Israeli cast, including actual or former IDF border guards.

The movie was originally nominated for the Oscar for Best Foreign Film -- and then taken off the list because Palestine 'is not a legitimate nation.' That's what Golda Meir used to say; the Motion Picture Academy is more backward than the judges at Cannes, which gave Suleiman two jury prizes. Politics are different in the USA, as observers of world events are currently all too well aware, and "Divine Intervention" is unlikely to be as well appreciated in America as in Europe. American and English reviews have frequently focused on the movie's weaknesses and overlooked its elegance and restrained passion.

Indeed there are subtleties that will elude an audience from outside Israel. I'm told that the green envelopes "E.S.'s" father is opening are government mail, whatever you get from different ministries and departments, and the big blue envelope pertains to income tax. It just looked like junk mail to me. In another sequence something happened with the owner of a house who was the object of fire bombings, but I didn't follow the outcome.

Suleiman's black images of Israeli occupation resemble the humor of the concentration camp; the occupation is like a summery, open air detention center, the Jews giving back what they got under the Nazis to the people they got their land from. The final aim is still extermination and removal of a people.

The detachment of Suleiman's view, and perhaps the warped sensibilities that repression and frustration cause, are reflected in the meanness and feuding he depicts as existing daily among the Palestinians themselves and their contacts with Israelis; the alienation in the constant sound of Hebrew in the ears of Arabic speakers. Neighbors throw garbage in each other's yards, puncture a boy's lost soccer ball before returning it; drive along greeting acquaintances and cursing them under their breath.

Between Jerusalem, where E.S. lives, and Ramallah, where his girlfriend is, lies one of the infamous checkpoints: the lovers' separation causes them to meet at a vacant lot next to it. They stare ahead with blank sadness, twining their hands together. Their lovemaking is reduced to that tiny gesture. They sit impassively for hours, as Palestinians must sit in car queues for hours at the checkpoints. Sometimes Suleiman shifts to fantasy: an apricot pit E.S. flips out his car window blows up a tank, or a pretty girl (his girlfriend?) in tight clothes leaves her car, and approaches the elevated observation cabin of a checkpoint, to the consternation and arousal of the young Israeli guards. She walks past, and the whole observation cabin magically disintegrates. (These two sequences had to be staged and shot in France.)

Another time a lively new guard takes over with a megaphone barking commands at Palestinian motorists, stealing a young man's imported leather jacket, ordering others to switch cars, making another sing along with him, humiliating them all, and then suddenly waving the whole line of cars through. The Palestinians are at the mercy of individual personalities, and have only a choice between humiliation and cruelty.

E.S.'s father sits in his pajamas having breakfast seemingly for hours opening the mail mentioned above, eating an egg. He smokes a cigarette and then gets up, and falls onto the floor.

Hospital scenes follow which emphasize how everybody, patients, doctors and nurses, constantly smokes.

Periodically we see Suleiman/E.S. pulling large Post It's off a wall, representing all the little episodes of the movie.

In an elaborate sequence toward the end five Israelis do target practice in formation like chorus girls shooting up effigies of a Palestinian woman -- the girlfriend -- wearing a kufia mask. Finally the real woman emerges from behind the one remaining effigy, dodges dozens of bullets, flies into the air transmogrified into a martyr, emits stones that knock down the men, blows them up with grenades, and spins off in the air like a Ninja. This, and the opening sequence in which Arab boys chase and stab a costumed Santa Claus, have been criticized in English-language reviews as too vicious or too fanciful, but they accurately represent the workings of a tormented Palestinian mind.

It's important to remember that there's no intention to tell a connected story here; Suleiman is an observer and note-taker. Returned to Jerusalem since 1994, he lived abroad for a decade before that, mostly in New York. Like all Palestinians he is rootless and international, treated like dirt in his native land. The power of his observations is in their coolness and wry humor.

For all the explosions, shooting, beatings (of a snake, in one scene) and expressions of hostility, the movie is marked by its distance, stillness, and restraint. People are seen from afar, head on, or from above. Perhaps the most memorable image is the one of E.S. and his girlfriend staring impassively forward for hours at the checkpoint. Passive endurance is the hallmark of Palestinian survival as seen in "Divine Intervention."

A highly symbolic scene is the repeated one of a bus stop where one man is standing and another comes and says, "There's no bus," and the first one says, "I know!" This pinpoints the hopeless situation of the whole society.

Despite the links with classic movie comedy tradition, Suleiman has a unique and sadder vision. One may or may not find the scenes amusing or entertaining but one does get a sense of the average Palestinian's predicament. Bitter irony and detachment are two of the only ways of dealing with it.

Sometimes original;sometimes boring

[raymond-15 · 6/10 · 11 January 2005]

It is a difficult film to analyze. There are so many disconnected episodes. If the scenes are meant to be humorous, they are so subtle the humour escapes me. I am more aware of a feeling of frustration..of inactivity..of not being able to get things done. Not being an Arab or a Jew, I possibly see things differently...perhaps there is a funny side to senseless activities such as building a concrete wall and then smashing it down when it is solid.

Greeting people in a friendly manner as you drive down a street and calling them the most abominable names under your breath is a form of humour I suppose...especially for the person involved. As for dumping garbage on a neighbour's property and then being upset when he chucks it back might be considered quirky humour.

There is very little dialogue in this film, but much is made of the sound effects...the shoveling of wet concrete, the rattle of empty bottles. the sudden cessation of barking dogs. There is one character who says little but when he speaks he uses the number six in all his sentences. An interesting phenomenon for a psychiatrist but hardly hilarious.

There is one scene I find more interesting, almost funny in fact. It concerns a red inflated party balloon with the head of Arafat printed on it. It floats about above the rooftops and is suddenly spied by soldiers at the checkpoint. They are so absorbed in the correct procedure to be followed that two lovers in a car go undetected through the checkpoint. This surely must be a strong case of divine intervention.

There are a few interesting episodes with a degree of originality but equally there are some boring ones too when the characters remain static for far too long. If a sense of humour is required to provide a resolution of the long standing difficult Israeli-Palestinian relationship, I am afraid this film is not the one to do it.

I would definitely show this film to all my family members.

[FilmCriticLalitRao · 7/10 · 11 July 2007]

Divine Intervention is a clever example of how human intelligence on behalf of a filmmaker is crucial for making a film which is enjoyable, successful,popular,crowd puller and of course followed by hard to please critics.Normally it is seen that very few film directors work hard on the overall development of their scripts.It is this issue which has been deftly handled by Elie Suleiman. He has given ample breathing space to all his characters regardless of their order of appearance. That is why there is no reference to neither major nor minor characters.There is no doubt that in terms of content,narrative style and visual presentation it is a different film. What makes it unique is that in some manner the director has resorted to cheap gimmicks.For example-when the film starts there is hardly any glimpse of Israel-Palestine conflict but as it progresses this conflict comes in the foreground.This is something which can be easily detected.The best thing that can be said about Divine Intervention is that it can be watched by all and sundry. This is not at all a mean achievement for a film from Palestine.

A Beautiful Unconventional Palestinian Film

[assalehab · 10/10 · 9 February 2003]

Those of you who are heading the theaters to watch Palestinian film showing refugee camps - bare footed kids with running noses , or poor women weeping miserably over their loved ones who were killed by the Israeli soldiers..... are in for a major disappointment ! Elia Suleiman puts on screen the OTHER Palestinian : the highly sophisticated intellect who is torn between the nothingness of his home town - ghetto like Nazareth , and his almost impossible love life on the Jerusalem - Ramalla checkpoint , watching impotently the daily satiric yet agonizing incidents at the Israeli checkpoint from his car , and time and time again , amidst the harsh reality and killing routine we find him escaping to fantasy , and it is these fantasy dream-like scenes that make the reality of the film .

A Palestinian woman goes through the extremely secured Israeli checkpoint and passes to the other side causing the checkpoint tower to collapse . The woman in the film is the all-mighty woman, she is the mother , spouse , and daughter of the Palestinian society who takes matters into her own hands and who makes the whole world to bow and bend in front of her strength . She is the Palestinian Ninja fighter who refuses to be the martyr. She is blown up to a higher level becoming a Jesus like figure ,yet not turning the other cheek but fighting and setting new rules for the other side.The scene is full of contradictions: the highly equipped Israeli commando fighters against the solemn Palestinian who merely fights with stones[bringing to mind the first Intifada],and political symbols such as the map of the Palestinian shape boomerang and the appearance of the Palestinian flag underneath the Israelis feet . The film is funny ,even hilarious, enormously witty ,and the language diverts from direct and realistic to symbolic and surreal. Elia Suleiman fluently speaks both languages ,telling the story - or stories - of thousands of Palestinians and yet telling his own saga, in a voice so hush-hush ,clever ,subtle and so artistic that brilliantly makes this film a masterpiece.

Maha Haj-Assal NAZARETH .

Humor In the Face of Adversity

[albertval-69560 · 7/10 · 27 January 2022]

These are vignettes or slices of Palestinian life in Nazareth and Jerusalem. The segments evoke varying degrees of humor some bordering on the farcical or even absurd. Elia Sulaiman is able to capture reactions of people in different situations and share them with the audience. The lack of dialogue (like in pantomime) ironically adds clarity to the intended message. The film suggests that this kind of behaviour is a product of the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Whatever, the point is these segments relate to day-to-day lives of ordinary people. It could apply, perhaps, to people in other places. But wherever we are, we strive to live our life as best as we can in the face of adversity with a sense of humor and lightness of being.

The only way to treat this subject is laughing at it!!

[robenpaul · 9/10 · 12 January 2003]

The problem in the Middle East is very complex and not black & white. To make a film about the ongoing war between two tribes who have the same forefathers and have to share a piece of land is not easy!! The only way, in my opinion, to make a film about it, is to make it light and transparent. And that is exactly what Elia Suleiman does. Absurd scenes (the Palestinian beauty who turns into a Ninja and destroy the acrobatic Israeli marksmen), but also very subtil stories about Palestinians who make life miserable for each other in the Occupied terretories. He uses several biblical symbols (eating eggs, killing a snake) and uses repetition to show how life gets by when you're living like subhumans. My cup of tea!!

Surrealist film

[jpismyname · 6/10 · 1 June 2023]

I'm in a Cannes mood last night, so I'm trying to watch any Palme d'Or nominees/winners. This showed on Netflix so I decided to watch it.

Yadon Ilaheyya or Divine Intervention is a black comedy film set in Israel. It's one of those movies that really isn't about anything. It shows vignettes of different people on their daily routine, and suddenly it will shock you with ABSURD moments. It also has very little dialogues.

This is an absurdist film that also shows the conflict happening in Israel. It has one of the most original style of filmmaking I've seen. Honestly, I wasn't really bored. There is one problem for me though. Honestly, I don't really know much about the politics in Israel so I didn't really get some of it, like the meaning of the flying balloon for instance. I wish they gave some Eli5, like how the movie Argo explained things before starting. Before watching this or any kinds of movies like this, I guess you gotta research or google some Eli5 articles about it before watching so you gotta at least understand some of it.

Ambitious work, but flawed nonetheless

[Sinnerman · 5/10 · 3 May 2003]

Given my fascination with the modern tragedy of the Palestinian's predicament, I thus was very willing to like Divine Intervention. But ultimately, this was a case of lofty ideals blinding the basic craft of good cinema.

The real life issues (Israeli Occupation of Palestinian lands/ Oppression of the Palestinian people) genuinely demands our attention and worthy concerns. And from what I have read, believed they were better explored in other non-fiction documentaries like "A Wedding in Ramallah" or "Gaza strip".

Which was a real pity. As Divine Intervention, being a fictional feature, could have achieved a dramatic potential and political resonance far wider than above-mentioned works. Instead, what I have seen was a painfully average work of an aspiring auteur, who harboured artistic ambition beyond his reach.

Yes, the themes explored may be noble and the real life issues behind the film may even be deemed absurd, ironic and ultimately tragic. But first and foremost, Divine Intervention needed to be judged as a film. However "holy" the subject matter, our sympathies for the real life issues need not compensate for what can seen so clearly as poor execution and misdirection. As such, as a film, it didn't work for me.

Granted, there may be brilliant parts of surreal beauty (the Santa Claus and Ninja sequence comes to mind). But ultimately these vignettes of uneven quality are marred by the glaring failure of its disjointed, disengaging whole. It's sophomoric metaphors and monotonous, pseudo artistic rythms, left me cold and empty.

Amazing really, how a film can show so much promise yet fails so miserably. That said, I'll still give it a passing 6/10 for some truly inspired moments. But that's about it.

a beautiful and complete film about despair

[mich_new · 10/10 · 8 June 2005]

a beautifully shot, well thought-through film about the despair of life in the Palestine territories. the arrows of blame are pointing to all directions, making it a complex statement of a dead-end situation.

this is a film about life cut off by barriers- physical, psychological, communicational and political- between countries people, lovers and neighbors. and about the yearning to brake through them.

through a complex critique of both sides of the conflict, the viewer is turned into a silent witness of oppression corruption and decay.

it's visual far exceeding previous films originating palestine or israel, each frame is an artwork, symbolic and poetic.

a cinematographic pearl. a must-see.

Well....Not Sure If I 'Got' It Or What I Think

[iquine · 6/10 · 11 April 2022]

I've never really seen this type of surreal, random and imaginative film come out of the countries around the Middle East so kudos for taking a creative risk. I can't really say there is a clear plot or narrative. The viewer is taken on an unclear path around story snippets from military guarded checkpoints, unfriendly neighbor skirmishes, perhaps an homage to the short film "The Red Balloon" and then an action packed surreal scene involving guns. Most of the film is told through interesting visuals and lengthy takes, which was a positive. It gave ample time to try to interpret what on earth is going on, which for me was a fruitless endeavor. I can't say I enjoyed the film but I respect its approach.

An exercise in pseudo-reference

[petkanasw · 1/10 · 28 June 2006]

It's not plot driven, OK; it's not a character study, fine; there's no action, alright; there's no point, hmmm...

Maybe it's supposed to represent the boredom and absurdity of living in Palistine and parts of Israel these days in a state of violence, petty disagreements, deep rooted hostility, etc. But mostly it's long, long scenes of nothing happening - or things which look like they're dripping with meaning (a checkpoint tower crashing to the ground, an Arafat balloon floating into Jerusalem, a crouching tiger women deflecting bullets into a halo) but when you try to derive some meaning, there's no there there.

Bonus: you can watch this film in fast forward and it will make absolutely no difference except that it might be slightly less boring.

If Jaques Tati and Luis Bunuel had a child, this is the film he'd make

[bob-frumpet · 19 November 2006]

Brilliant politics mixed mixed with very black, subtle comedy make up this very slightly surreal and funny movie about life and love in Israel.

However, I wouldn't recommend this film for everybody, don't watch it if you're looking for an easy movie, it takes a lot of mental energy to really understand this movie, however if you're in the movie for an intellectual treat, its quite fun.

This movie has the subtle humor and lack of dialogue of a tati movie with the politics and vignette fashion of a Bunuel.

Overall, it's good, yet many of the political references are extremely obscure and the metaphors aren't always clear.

One of a kind. A movie with character, whose pace coincides with it's theme.

[yokosamz · 9/10 · 21 January 2005]

Whoever thought it was boring missed an important point: The movie itself (the rhythm, the structure, "no point") is a metaphor for the lives of those people. If it were any more lively or "entertaining" it would have been completely inconsistent.

It is not just the (very funny) jokes that make the movie interesting, but the attitude it emanates. The individual scenes (which are ALL linked to others by the way) express the feeling of indifference developed by the characters after years of living in a land torn by conflict. But they can't just stop living. On one hand, the immensely amusing daily situations prove that they're alive. But on the other hand, everyone in the movie seems to have grown immune to humour.

This movie not only unites strong elements, like hidden symbols, attractively filmed shots, great music, and occasional bursts of humour and action. It also paints a subtle portrait of characters that may or may not reflect reality. It conveys a certain mood with remarkable coherence. The state of mind of people who are living surreal lives but can't take it any more. When will the boiler explode? How long can this go on?

Divine intervention contains poignant scenes of humiliation, defiance, love, insanity, and also scenes of simple mundane living. All that with as little words as possible. I saw it for the first time at a European film festival in Beirut two years ago. I've seen it three times since, and every time I laugh less, but my admiration grows a little for this rich movie.

Abstraction means you have to think about it.

[DrDVine · 9/10 · 22 April 2005]

To begin with: this is a very good movie. This is at least how I felt while watching it. It will satisfy you in multiple ways because it works on multiple layer. The one the was most present to me is the critical abstraction from everyday life in an occupied region. In conceptual an visual dense shots it deals with interpersonal communication under constant pressure. Later on the view is opened to the political dimension of interchange between the two (or one and a half) states. At the same time you will get emotionally involved with several person and there very own way of individual reception of the situation that eventually will lead to resistance. Interwoven with this is a symbolic discourse sometimes philosophic sometimes mere ironic, forcing the audience to think, to make there mind up on what they are seeing. This all is refined with a dark, omnipresent but deeply human humour. For me it worked.

9 out of 10 and a strong recommendation to see it for all those who love cinema that keeps one thinking.

I fell asleep!

[Fiona-39 · 4/10 · 30 March 2003]

I really wanted to like this film for all sorts of reasons -- the subject matter is inherently interesting and is probably the major issue facing the world today and has thrown up fascinating works (e.g. Linda Grant's When I lived in modern times)usually from the Israeli side of the fence. Also, a bloke I like told me he thought it was the best film he'd seen all year, so with such a recommendation...

HOWEVER I actually found myself nodding off at points! Admittedly i was tired and the cinema seats comfy but I found it too much hard work trying to identify with the characters. Once I'd got my head round the idea that it was a series of vignettes, I went with it, but this made it disappointingly like a sketch show rather than a film. I liked the concept of a restrained, almost silent mise en scene contrasted to these utopian moments - the sexy girl, the red balloon and the ninja Muslim fighter. But personally i think the film has been over hyped. I'm not saying narrative and plot is everything (it's definitely not) but even a little more dialogue would have helped.

this movie is out of the competition, the best ever

[amr2709 · 10/10 · 3 October 2003]

i swear the god that what i'm saying now is not because i'm from the arabic egyptian audience. first of all when i read every arabic review about this movie i thought (of course they are over rating)and so i had great expectations when i was goin to see it and i was sure that i will hate the movie because of my expectations of course it will be less than that, but after i saw the movie i just said the best picture i've ever seen and all my friends said the same thing because we were amazeb by the beautiful takes every scene is a masterpiece i'm not over rating i swear , and the director (who is the actor) barely used dialogs and you will never be bored because the scenes are very artistic and has this sence of humore. forget about politics and this race stuff and see the movie from the eye of the beholder you will see a very artistic movie maybe the best ever. the sound track is 10/10 and the acting also and the directing is 20/10 i'm so happy that i saw that movie .

Propaganda mixed with bad artsiness- a cinematic nightmare

[KrakensLover · 1/10 · 18 August 2008]

This was one of the most dishonest, meaningless, and non-peaceful of the films I have ever seen. The representation of the other, of the Israelis, was racist, backward, and unfair. For one, the song played on E.S' car radio when pulled up alongside a very right-wing Israeli driver was "I put a spell on you" by Natacha Atlas. The song's style is quite Arabic, but it was released on an Israeli compilation CD, and I have even heard it on the radio in Israel. Many Israeli songs (as well as architecture, foods, and slang) are influenced by Arabic culture, and there is no reason an Israeli Jew would be offended or angered by a nearby car playing that song. The way E.S. appears so calm and collected with his sunglasses and cool glare, via a long, still shot, is meant to force the viewer into seeing the Jew as haggard and racist, and E.S. as noble and temperate.

I have traveled all over Israel, and I have never seen an IDF recruitment poster, since service is mandatory. But in the film, not only is there a recruitment poster, but it depicts a stereotypical image of an Arab terrorist and the words "want to shoot?" This is an extremely inaccurate depiction of the mentality of the majority of Israelis as well as Israeli soldiers, and such an "advertisement" wouldn't even exist on a random Israeli highway. In including it, the director aims to convince the audience that Israel is a society of anti-Arab racists hell-bent on murder.

The ninja scene was gratuitous and needlessly violent. A Hollywood-style action scene involving Israeli soldiers shooting Palestinians would be just as unwelcome in an Israeli-directed film as the ninja scene should have been. But for some reason, images of an unrealistic, non-comic, and violent scenario manage to elicit applause from the audience since the director has smeared the Israeli side so much beforehand, that any shot of Israeli soldiers being killed would be welcome. The director shows absolutely no attempt at building bridges, portraying the "other" as human, or working towards peace; violence is made to be the only solution. This is furthered by scenes of exploding tanks, falling guard towers, and other random acts of destruction. One of my best friends serves in the Israeli military, and the targets in firing ranges are never Arab women dressed in black, or any other quasi-civilian on canvas. Soldiers at checkpoints are instructed not to fire at the head of an approaching Palestinian unless it is clear that their own lives are in danger; the method, according to my friend, is to provide a warning shout, fire into the air or around the area, and then if all else fails, shoot in the leg and then interrogate and hospitalize. Arbitrarily targeting a woman in the head, as shown in the film, is not the proper procedure.

Besides these inaccuracies, the directing style was also poor. Repetition became repetitious, and no longer captivating. Symbols, such as the balloon with Arafat drawn on it, are forced outside any plot structure or effective integration in the setting; the balloon is Palestine penetrating and regaining Jerusalem, and it is created for no reason by E.S. The ambulance being checked for permits by Israeli soldiers followed by subsequent Israeli ambulances flying past the checkpoint is an overly-overt claim of an Israeli double standard by the director. The attempt by the director to show life in Nazareth as dreary and pointless is done with overkill; showing the routines of random people over and over again, even with a slight change each time, and emphasizing that not one member of the cast ever smiles and is minimalist in dialogue almost screams out the purpose of such scenes, the dreariness of life, without allowing much room for personal interpretation. By contrasting one "section" of the movie, daily life in Nazareth, with the second section, the checkpoint between Ramallah and Israel, the director subtly blames this dreariness on Israel, but never provides any direct evidence as to why such blame can be properly argued.

I spent hours trying to figure out why music ended abruptly and began abruptly, and why many modern fashion-show-like and metal-action tracks were included in the score. I still cannot come up with an answer. I felt that the music was out of place in this film; the contrast between more silent scenes and intense scenes was actually annoying and not affecting or thought-provoking. I can understand if the director intended for the music to provide some comic aspect to certain scenes, but I found that there was nothing comic to be found in Israeli soldiers shooting at targets or fighting a ninja, or a woman having to suffer another walk through a checkpoint, albeit defiantly. In fact, I was tempted to close my ears during intense scenes, and annoyed by the lack of a score during quiet scenes. Whatever the director's intent, it provided only an audial displeasure throughout the film.

This film has no legitimate political message because it provides an inaccurate and extreme representation of the other, and neglects to actually address any issues. It is a propaganda film, because the director intends various symbols, styles, and scenes to draw sympathy for the Palestinian side, while displaying the Israeli side as cruel and inhuman without exception; the vibrant atmosphere of an action-packed Hollywood scene or of intense music is displayed in every act of violence by Palestinians against Israelis, such that the almost inevitably positive and thrilled feelings the music and cinematography elicit from the audience are directed to one side. There is no thought, reflection, or deepening of the understanding of the conflict by the audience; emotions are simply pulled to one side, and kept there, in a "good vs bad" cliché scenario. I believe this film lacked the depth, quality, and power of other Palestinian films, such as "Paradise Now" and "Wedding in the Galilee."

Only interesting for people who live here, or the pretentious

[Africa178 · 9 July 2010]

I know there are people who go nuts over films like this, but I found it interminably dull. Although I suppose I generally get the sort of thing the director is trying to do, I certainly don't "get" the movie. It doesn't help that it seems to go out of its way to make life in the places depicted seem a lot more dreary and surreal than is actually the case. The lack of coherence and excessive leaving of things open for interpretation is sure to attract the pretentious, but to me it just comes off as lazy film-making.

Off topic for a moment, the majority of other reviewers don't seem to realize that Nazareth is NOT in the West Bank; it's in Israel. Its inhabitants are all Palestinian, but they don't live under Israeli occupation (at least not in the commonly accepted use of the term); they are Israeli citizens. This doesn't mean they don't have problems or don't identify with Palestinians in the territories (or suffer discrimination - they certainly do) but there's a huge difference in daily life between a Palestinian living in Nazareth and one living in Jenin.

Anyway, it certainly contains some compelling images: the increasingly surreal fantasy sequences, the familiar everyday scenes like the hollering in Nazareth's streets or the kids beating on some unseen object, and my favorite, the hospital full of smokers, which nicely encapsulates the self-destructive habits that most of this region seems to be stuck in sometimes. Still, without any character development to speak of, what we're left with seems to just be a stream of consciousness that goes out of its way to be dreary and dull and doesn't go out of its way to unite its worthwhile moments into a solid complete product.

Of course, incomprehensible films like this are sure to be a hit with the self-consciously artsy, and this one was. I'm sure liberal arts majors can have a field day writing about the postmodern significance of the awkward silences and post-it notes, but I'll just go back and watch Paradise Now, Waltz With Bashir, or even The Band's Visit before I see this one again.

an exceptional, quirky movie

[gracie28 · 9/10 · 21 June 2003]

This movie is straight out of left field. It is not really a comedy nor is it a drama. It is a quirky meditation on the lives of Palestinians living under Israeli rule, seen from ground level. There is so much pro-Israel material in our media, that it is refreshing to see that Palestinians are human after all, and even possess a sense of humor and irony. Go see this movie if you like to be jarred out of your daily stupor.

funny and brilliantly told

[edwardpower · 9/10 · 2 February 2003]

a funny and brilliant film. i saw it at the film festival in göteborg after the director had held a lecture about the script (he is such a humoristic guy). the film doesn't really have a story but is put together by small stories and ideas, mainly told in pictures and sound but very few words. it works very well i think. it has some of the funniest and most eventive ideas i have ever seen on film. go see it. i deffinently will again.

I really wasted forty-three minutes of my life watching the first half of this crap

[claudio_carvalho · 1/10 · 28 November 2005]

A Brazilian cable television is presenting "Yadon Ilaheyya" this month in its "Cult" channel. I saw the trailer and listened to the advertisement, and decided to see this movie. Indeed it is an absurd boring pretentious dumb pointless disconnected crap about the conflict in the Middle East, and together with "Soultangler", they certainly are the worst movies I have tried to see. I really wasted forty-three minutes of my life watching the first half of this crap, highly indicated for torturing enemies. How can this movie be awarded and nominated to prizes inclusive in Cannes? My vote is one (awful).

Title (Brazil): "Intervenção Divina" ("Divine Intervention")

Absolutely brilliant, 8/10.

[kourdos · 8/10 · 23 February 2003]

Very intelligent and sensitive film. Don't get me wrong: I can easily fall asleep in slow, "intellectual" films, but in this one I enjoyed every single shot and scene of it. The music was very good as well.

I loved the urban landscapes, the faces and body language of the people and the strong symbolisms.

Do you know how much power an apricot stone has ? :-)